Wester Lea, Ellersly Road, Edinburgh

Wester Lea is a Jacobean dwelling house dating from 1860 to 1869, originally designed by Campbell Douglas and J J Stevenson. Robert Lorimer subsequently remodelled the house and designed the gardens in 1913, with later alterations made over time. In the mid-20th century, the building was adapted into a school for disabled children.

The north (principal) elevation features a large porte-cochere with a balustrade and ball finials at the entrance. A modern extension lies behind at ground level, with gabled dormer windows above. To the left of the porte-cochere is a three-storey, three-bay section; it has single windows in the outer bays at ground level, single windows at the first floor, and a single window at the second floor, topped by a carving. The gable is decorated with five finials and six small pane windows.

The east and west elevations adjoin other buildings.

The south elevation is dominated by a two-storey, five-bay main block. A central single-storey canted bay has four lights, with a single gabled dormer above. Single windows are at ground floor level, with gabled dormers flanking to the left and right. A projecting section to the right has a two-storey canted bay with four lights, topped with a parapet and ball finials, and a gable head also decorated with ball finials. A two-storey canted bay sits to the left, also with a parapet crowned with ball finials. There’s a modern extension with round arched windows to the left, along with another modern extension.

The west elevation adjoins another building.

The building incorporates a variety of small pane and leaded glazing patterns. It has a grey slate roof with straight skews and tall, corniced stacks.

Internally, while remodelled to facilitate school use and wheelchair access, much of the original interior remains. A timber-panelled stair hall features a coffered ceiling with egg and dart and dentil cornices, scrolled brackets decorated with shells, and a loggia of three arches leading to the stairwell. The arch motif is continued in the stairwell, and the elevator is framed by a timber architrave with fluted pilaster strips. A canted bay in a southeast classroom is timber-panelled and framed by pilaster strips and foliate scrolled brackets. The staff room above has a coved ceiling with coffers, incorporating circular recesses with decorative borders. Naturalistic cornices and brackets are found in most of the larger rooms.

The garden includes a north terrace wall running east to west, with a central stair and ramp. A statue by Pilkington Jackson, titled "Girl," stands within a circle of rubble, surrounded by a round box hedge at the west end of the garden. Topiary trees run along the south edge.